


The Last Night

by BeneaththeHalo



Series: Courage Magic Strength [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Naked Cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-11 07:41:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2059701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeneaththeHalo/pseuds/BeneaththeHalo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin and Gwaine always found their way into the king’s tent, on that last night. This time was the same as every other. He didn’t turn around to face them, instead waiting for them to come to him.</p><p>“Arthur, come to bed."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Last Night

**Author's Note:**

> So here FINALLY begins my 30 Days of OT3 (being Merlin/Arthur/Gwaine) porny goodness! I hope you guys are excited, cos I sure am! Thanks as always to my friends on Tumblr and on Skype for encouraging me, and especially Rie cos this was all inspired by you in the first place! :3
> 
> Day #1: Cuddles (Naked)

The last night before war was always the hardest. They knew that any one of them could never return. They knew this could be the very last time they saw each other. They knew this could very well be the last night that they ever spent together.

Merlin and Gwaine always found their way into the king’s tent, on that last night. Arthur was always in there alone, waiting, his back to the entrance. Even though he couldn’t see them, he always seemed to know who had entered. He didn’t turn around straight away, though- he waited for Merlin and Gwaine to come to him, Gwaine having shed his armour and Merlin already without his neckerchief.

This time was the same as every other. Gwaine and Merlin went to Arthur, who was every bit the weary, worried king. His arms were crossed over his chest, and they could tell his mind had already gone to the battle the next day. He didn’t turn around to face them, instead waiting for them to come to him.

“Arthur,” Merlin whispered, resting a hand on the king’s arm, but Arthur didn’t move.

“Arthur, come to bed,” Gwaine tried, hovering by Arthur’s other side and resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You need your sleep for tomorrow. We need our commander.”

“I’m thinking,” said Arthur, but he didn’t move to shrug off Merlin and Gwaine.

“You know what happens when you think, Arthur,” said Merlin. “You overthink things. You doubt yourself. You begin to worry that we won’t win, and that’s when we _won’t_. I’m not losing you tomorrow.”

“ _We’re_ not losing you tomorrow,” said Gwaine, and Merlin gave him a small smile. “For the record, princess, I don’t doubt you. Merlin doesn’t doubt you. Your knights don’t doubt you. Camelot doesn’t doubt you. We all know that you are a great king and knight, and we _will_ defeat Morgana’s army tomorrow.”

“You can’t know that,” said Arthur.

“We can’t,” Merlin agreed. “Even with my magic, I do not know what will come tomorrow. But I _do_ believe that we have the power and the strength and the _great leader_ to win this war. If we don’t have belief, Arthur, we won’t win. We can’t win.”

Arthur sighed. “I know. I know. I can’t help but worry, though. Worry that Morgana will defeat us, and take Camelot. Worry that my men will lose their lives. Worry that the two of _you_ will lose your lives.”

“We’ll try our best to stay alive, Arthur, you know that,” Gwaine said softly. He couldn’t promise that they wouldn’t die, none of them could, but all three of them knew that they’d do everything to stay alive, for each other.

“I do,” Arthur sighed, resting his head on Gwaine’s hand, and running his thumb over Merlin’s knuckles tenderly. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost either of you. I dread the thought of it.”

“Then _don’t_ think about it,” said Gwaine. “Just come, relax, and try not to think about anything but right now.”

Arthur finally turned around then. He was trying to appear calm, for Merlin and Gwaine, but they could both see the worry that was simmering just beneath the surface.

“Whatever happens will happen, Arthur,” said Merlin. “We’ve all accepted the fact that we may die tomorrow, that at any time we could lose our lives.”

“I’ve accepted that _I_ could die,” said Arthur. “I just- I can’t accept the fact that I could lose the two of you.”

“My god, princess, stop thinking about that,” said Gwaine exasperatedly. He reached out with gentle hands, relieving Arthur of his cape and his armour. “If you’re distracted tomorrow, we’re going to lose _you_.”

“And besides, Arthur, I’ve planned for this,” Merlin added, his fingers running tenderly over Arthur’s hips before removing the king’s chainmail and his tunic. “You know I’ve done everything in my power to protect the two of you tomorrow.” Waving a hand to magically lift Gwaine’s tunic over his head (which left Gwaine smirking) Merlin took Arthur’s own hand. “Come on, you prat. Come lie down with us.”

Finally, Arthur relented, letting Merlin and Gwaine lead him over to his sleeping furs (of which were, in fact, too many for one person, even if that person was the king). Arthur toyed with the bottom of Merlin’s shirt and, getting the hint, Merlin lifted it up over his head. "You're needy tonight," he commented.

"You're the one who brought this up," Arthur reminded him. "You and Gwaine. I want _this_ to be what gets me through tomorrow. Thinking of this, that it's what awaits me if I return. And I want _you_ to think of this, so it will spur you on and stop you from doing anything stupid." He looked pointedly at Merlin at this point, and the warlock glowered at him.

" _What_? Gwaine's just as likely to do something as stupid as me," Merlin retorted, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "So are you, Arthur."

"No, we're not," said Gwaine. He dropped to his knees in front of Merlin, pulling on the waistline of his trousers. Merlin made no move to resist, so Gwaine pulled them down along with his breeches, careful to run his fingers down Merlin's bare legs as he did so. "You tend to ignore your own safety when it comes to ensuring we don't die, you know."

Merlin opened his mouth to argue again, but Arthur silenced him with his own lips, claiming Merlin's mouth in a kiss. "Don't you dare die on us tomorrow."

"When did this become about telling _me_ not to die?" Merlin said, nearly sinking to the ground with Gwaine as his legs almost have way. "I thought we were trying to convince you not to think about that." He looked down at Gwaine, who was gently tugging on his arm. "Not until you take your pants off, Gwaine," he said.

"With pleasure," said Gwaine with a grin, doing exactly what Merlin instructed. "And you know how we are on this last night, Merlin."

"I do," said Merlin, finally sinking down into Arthur's sleeping furs. They were comfortable, far more comfortable than anything Merlin would normally sleep on. Gwaine, who had the same mindset, soon lay down beside him.

"Those are my furs," Arthur protested half-heartedly. That is where the king sleeps. And _I_ am the king, not either of you."

"You have more furs than you need, princess," said Gwaine with a predatory smirk. "Even if you are the king. We all know that this is more furs than you would sleep on if it was just you."

"Shut up, Gwaine," said Arthur automatically, but with no malice in his voice. He stared at the two men, his sorcerer and his strongest knight, before sighing heavily and lying down in between them.

Gwaine smiled. "There's my king," he said, pressing his lips gently to Arthur's shoulder. His hair fell into Arthur's face, and Merlin brushed it away tenderly before putting his arm around Arthur's middle, holding him right as if he was afraid to ever let go.

"I'm not doing to die tomorrow," said Arthur. "Okay, I know I can't promise that, because anything could happen, but I'm going to do everything that I can to make sure that I come home. To make sure that I come back to the two of you."

"And we're going to do everything we can to make sure we're here waiting," said Gwaine, resting his head on Arthur's shoulder and intertwining his fingers with the ones that Merlin had resting on Arthur's chest. "Right, Merlin?"

"Of course," said Merlin. Arthur and Gwaine didn't have to ask whether Merlin had put magical shields around them; they both already knew, even if they couldn't feel them. The same way they all knew that the other two would have half an eye on them during the fighting, even though they wanted them to worry about themselves. As if to emphasize this, Merlin pulled Gwaine's hand toward him and kissed it, before leaning in and kissing Arthur's chest right above his heart.

 _We'll be in here,_ he seemed to say. _We'll be in your heart while you fight, as the two of you will be for me, and you and I will be for Gwaine._ "We'll fight for each other," Merlin said aloud. "Won't we?"

"Yes," said Gwaine, his breath ghosting across Arthur's face.

"Yes," Arthur echoed, closing his eyes and just feeling Merlin and Gwaine lying beside him. And in that moment, as they had before every battle and every war, the three men knew that was enough.

 


End file.
